This invention relates to fruit harvesting containers, and, more particularly, to fruit harvesting containers which are intended to be lifted and emptied by hydraulic lifting devices.
Fruit such as oranges, grapefruit, and the like are often harvested by pickers who pick the fruit from the trees and dump the fruit into large containers. Filled containers are lifted above a substantially larger truck-mounted container by hydraulically operated lift devices, and the lift devices are generally capable of tilting the container to dump the fruit into the larger container. Some lifting devices and containers for use therewith which have been used by the citrus industry are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,981,424; 3,119,505; 3,618,800; and 3,712,504.
With the exception of the container described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,504, containers which have been generally used in the citrus industry are relatively rigid. Since harvesting containers frequently encounter severe impacts as the container is swung about by the lift device or dropped to the ground, a relatively rigid container can easily be broken and rendered useless during normal use. Further, many containers are relatively heavy, which increases the possibility of damage when the containers are dropped.
It is desirable that fruit harvesting containers be constructed in a manner which permits the container to withstand the impacts which the container will receive during normal use, and it is also desirable that the container be nestable so that a plurality of containers can be stored when not in use in a minimum amount of space. Plastic tub-like containers are available, but, although these containers are nestable and lightweight and can withstand impacts to a certain extent, certain problems remain. For example, the plastic tubs can be crushed as they are engaged and lifted by the lifting device, and the plastic tubs can still be broken by impacts, particularly in cold weather.
The invention provides a fruit harvesting container which is extremely light in weight, is nestable, and can readily withstand impacts. The fruit is held by a flexible bag which is supported within a metal skeleton frame. The frame supports the bag against the internal pressure created by the weight of the fruit, but substantially the entire outer surface of the container is provided by the flexible bag. As a result, impacts which are directed against the container generally engage the flexible bag rather than the frame, and the flexible bag can readily deform inwardly to absorb the force of the blow. As soon as the object which creates the blow is removed, the flexible bag can return to its original shape. The frusto-conical shape of the container permits a plurality of containers to be nested within each other, and reinforcing strips secured to the inside of the bag protects the bag from being chafed between the frames of two adjacent nested containers. The reinforcing strips also help the bag to hold the desired frusto-conical shape and prevent the bag from being turned inside out if the container is inverted.